Quick Justice
by qwaszxedc9
Summary: (ONGOING) She joined the Straw Hat crew with one mission - to destroy them. OC story. Two-shot. Second of the Ripples series.


**Yo! Qwaszxedc9 here! XD**

 **I wrote this after sitting on it for years.** **I'm trying out a new way of writing, so that I can skip all the useless filler parts and just outline the stuff I really want to write. How is it?**

 **This should be a two-short. I hope.**

 **Please share with me how you think this can end. I'm interested to know how many ways this story can go wrong.**

 **EDITED 3 Jan 2016**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

 **Quick Justice**

 **She joined the Straw Hat crew with one mission - to destroy them.**

 **Front Half**

* * *

Justine had grown up in Cipher Pol.

Her mother was an agent of CP9, then transferred to CP7, while her father was supposedly a civilian, though she had never met him.

She did remember her mother somewhat clearly. Her mother had dark brown hair, a darker shade from her own lighter brown hair, and sharp angled features that couldn't quite be counted as pretty, handsome maybe. She was kind to her daughter, vicious to others and respectful to her superiors. She baked cookies and cooked noodles that made people disappear whenever she wanted others to try it, like magic. Her knives and guns were swift and tore people apart, like how balloons filled with water burst when they hit the walls. Her kicking and punching (physical combat, she later realised) was sudden and lethal, the punching bag bursting into sand like popcorn.

And Justine had loved her.

Until one day, when her mother was out on a mission, a few days passed and the only thing Justine got back was a letter, and a ring.

She was nine, and she kept the ring.

* * *

They placed her with many other children, all learning the same things.

Rokushiki.

It was a martial art, and it was strong.

They were to learn it, and learn it well. In the name of Justice.

She did ask what Justice was, to one of the nicer looking instructors. But they punished her, and told her that Justice was Absolute.

She didn't ask again.

* * *

She didn't quite understand what the Name Of Justice was, so she searched the dictionary.

 _Justice_

 _-the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness_

 _-rightfulness or lawfulness, as of a claim or title; justness of ground or reason_

 _-conformity to this principle, as manifested in conduct; just conduct,dealing, or treatment_

Justine still couldn't understand it, but it sounded similar to her name, so she decided that she liked it.

* * *

When she was fifteen, they deemed her (and a few others) unfit for political or secret work (it sounded secret too) and posted her to the Marine Headquarters.

They were split up and given mentors of their own. The person who was put in-charge of her was Admiral Sengoku.

* * *

Sengoku-san asked her to sit down in front of his table, to talk. Apparently, her instructors had deemed her unfit due to her 'lack of motivation even with attempted persuasion', 'habit of spacing out' and 'lack of physical potential'. Sengoku-san was chosen to be her mentor because of a success case Sengoku-san had with a previous recruit, who was supposedly really clumsy and not very strong.

She just nodded and smiled as Sengoku-san explained.

Midway through, Sengoku-san frowned, and didn't stop frowning throughout his talk.

At least he didn't punish her.

* * *

Sengoku-san asked for her name too.

"Justine." She replied, and she smiled.

Sengoku-san looked at her, then frowned.

* * *

"What is Justice to you?" Sengoku-san asked, bringing her along as they walked down the corridor.

"Absolute Justice." She replied immediately, because that was what she knew to reply. It was what the instructors expected of her.

Sengoku-san paused, and looked pretty thoughtful, then asked again. "And what do you think Justice is?"

"Absolute." She replied again, immediately. Glancing up and meeting the Admiral's eyes, she smiled.

Sengoku-san sighed, and looked pretty downcast. They stopped in front of his office, and entered, the door shutting behind them like a heavy gong.

"Justine, what does Justice mean to you?" Sengoku-san asked again, raising his hand immediately when she opened her mouth to answer, "No, not what you think I want to hear. I want to know what you think of it."

Justine closed her mouth, thinking. It's been months, and Sengoku-san hasn't hit her or thrown her into the dark, quiet rooms. Maybe her answer might not make him mad.

"What I think of Justice?" She asked, just to confirm the question.

Sengoku-san nodded.

"It's a nice word. Sounds like my name too." Justine answered truthfully, glancing up at Sengoku-san.

He stared at her, before nodding and smiling at her, then walking back to his table to do some paperwork.

* * *

One day, she opened the door, calling out her usual greetings, when she found him crying at the window.

"Are you alright?" She asked, blinking up at the large man.

He didn't reply, but continued standing at the window. Justine shrugged and sorted through the paperwork on his table, helping Sengoku-san finish up all those due that day. She didn't think he was up for any work.

Then, she went back to her usual training.

* * *

Sengoku-san seemed to get boundless visitors, and she usually cleaned up their messes after.

There was a Vice-Admiral Garp, the most prominent pain in the- visitor, who always seemed around.

He seemed to annoy Sengoku-san a lot, making him frown more than usual, and that made her want to throw him out, or maybe shove those crumbs he kept leaving on the sofas down his throat. But Sengoku-san hadn't said anything of the sort, so she continued clearing the crumbs after he left.

Garp-san seemed happy all the time. Except it wasn't like her. She looked happy while he seemed happy. Like happy happy.

She mentioned it to Sengoku-san after Garp-san had left.

He had smiled at her (it was a nice smile) and patted her head.

"You'll learn." He said.

She wasn't sure what she'll learn, but the big hand rubbing the top of her head gave her a strange giddy feeling, like a swell in her ribs.

She said that too, and he laughed.

Sengoku-san's laugh was nice. Maybe she'll say more to make him laugh.

* * *

She had kept up with her own Rokushiki training, squeezing it into whatever gaps she could find in her schedule.

One day, Sengoku offered to train her.

She grabbed the arm, tugging on it as she had started doing months ago, beaming at him.

* * *

Sengoku-san was promoted to Fleet Admiral one day.

She wasn't too clear on the details.

But Sengoku-san made her into his official apprentice and secretary. It gave her a happy, floaty feeling, like she was skipping in the air. Somehow, just hearing her apprenticeship being made official made her really happy.

Though, with the apprenticeship made official, means that she would join the marines later when she was older.

Could she perhaps stay as Sengoku-san's secretary?

Justine asked about the job requirements of a secretary, and it included packing paperwork, reminding Sengoku-san of appointments and dragging him to dinner.

It seemed like everything she was already doing.

Though, Sengoku-san did have high hopes for her in the Marine. He said so himself. It was probably why he started training her.

* * *

"Call me Sengoku now, would you?"

"Alright."

* * *

One day, Vice-Admiral Sakazuki visited Sengoku. Said he wanted his protege to fight against Sengoku's.

Sengoku turned to Justine, who had stopped writing and looked up. "Justine, do you want to spar against Jonathan?"

Justine blinked and thought for a while. Then, she shook her head.

Sengoku glanced up at Sakazuki, who scowled and turned on his heel, leaving with Jonathan behind him.

Jonathan was one of the CP recruits who were deemed 'unfit', she recalled. He 'was too set in his beliefs' and his body 'did not have the proper disposition'.

She didn't know if that was good or bad.

* * *

She had followed Sengoku to some of his meetings, and waited outside during some of the more dangerous ones.

One of the more memorable ones was the Shichibukai meeting, where, amazingly, three of them showed up. She was seventeen.

One had really sharp eyes that seemed as if it could pierce through her. Justine recognised him as Dracule Mihawk, and simply smiled at him as he walked by. He turned to glance at her, but continued walking past.

The second one was huge and blue, staring down at her. She recognised him as Jinbei, and once again she had continued smiling as he walked by.

"Are you a marine, young lady?" He asked, pausing his footsteps for a moment to look at her. She continued smiling, giving him a slight shake of her head.

"No, I'm a secretary." She answered. Jinbei nodded and continued walking toward the meeting room.

The third one who arrived was intimidating, grinning away as if there were some secret joke only he was privy to. The new Shichibukai, Donquixote Doflamingo. He glanced at her and the grin grew wider. She continued smiling back.

"Oh, what's a pretty thing like you doing here?" He drawled out, waddling over to her, hands in his pocket.

She smiled, taking a step back. "I'm a secretary, Doflamingo-san. The Shichibukai meeting will be in the meeting room down the hall."

"Is that so?" Doflamingo grinned, pulling his hands out. "Who's secretary are you?"

"Sengoku's, Doflamingo-san." She answered, and suddenly she felt her arms and legs moving haphazardly, without her permission. Her eyes widened.

"Well then, secretary-san, let's go see Sengoku about this."

Her limbs continued moving without her permission, but her smile didn't drop, but wavered. "Doflamingo-san, could you let me go?"

Doflamingo glanced backward, before ignoring her. "Nah."

The double doors burst open and Doflamingo walked in, Justine jerking with each step forward, smile still plastered across her face.

"Sengoku, look what I found outside. Is it yours?" Doflamingo chuckled, wiggling his fingers around and forcing Justine into a mini tap-dance routine.

"Doflamingo! That's my secretary. Release her." Sengoku snapped, slamming his files on the table.

"She's your secretary? You sure? There's a knife in her pocket, and I bet several more hidden around her." Doflamingo snickered, wiggling his fingers and forcing her to pull out the knife in her pocket.

Sengoku sighed, and snapped, "Yes, she's my secretary. She's been through training. The knives are for her protection."

The entire room's attention seemed centred on Sengoku now, and occasionally on her.

"Huh…" Doflamingo mumbled, forcing Justine to walk closer to Sengoku.

"Yes, now release her."

"Sure." Doflamingo did a quick wave of his hand, and Justine was suddenly propelled forward, knife's edge in front of Sengoku's face. Her feet immediately kicked off the ground, using Geppo to avoid hitting Sengoku, then another Geppo to land beside Sengoku, smoothing down her hair.

"My apologies, Sengoku. I shall wait outside." Justine said, bowing slightly to Sengoku. Then she turned to the rest of the room, the smile still plastered across her face. "Forgive my intrusion."

Using Soru, she disappeared from sight, the double doors closing. The room's occupants looked surprised, or as surprised as they could ever get. Even Sengoku.

* * *

"Have you figured out what Justice means to you?"

"I'm not sure, but I think I have my own motto now."

* * *

Quick Justice.

That was her motto, she decided.

Fast, efficient, reducing trouble for the higher-ups.

It was her kind of Justice, one that helped Sengoku.

One that had Sengoku smiling and patting her head for a job well done.

* * *

Justine was eighteen, when Sengoku asked if she wanted to join the Marines officially. She pondered for a while, before turning to Sengoku, smiling as she nodded. This was what Sengoku had been training her for anyway.

She could always come back to visit. Maybe, with a high enough rank, she could choose to post herself to a place beside Sengoku.

Sengoku nodded back and beamed at her.

By strange coincidence, Garp-san burst into the room and wrapped her in a tight hug, congratulating her. She subtly clicked her tongue. This perfect moment between herself and Sengoku was just ruined by Garp-san's uninvited entry.

"Now, if only my grandsons could see sense, like you." He said, shaking his head and munching on his crackers, causing her eyes to narrow at the waterfall of crumbs sprinkling itself over the surface of the sofa.

If only she could throw him out. Maybe she'll be able to get stronger in the Marines, and then kick him out the window.

* * *

She was eighteen when she joined the Marines.

Within several years, she shot up the ranks.

At twenty-one, she was a Captain.

* * *

She continued seeing Sengoku at least once every month, helping him with his paperwork whenever possible.

Garp-san was sometimes there, like a little fly in the background, buzzing around, talking about his cute little grandsons.

She usually tuned him out.

When she told Sengoku that, he tried to look stern and scold her a little, but then Garp-san burped really loudly, and Sengoku sighed and agreed with her. Sometimes, that's how he calmed his blood pressure down.

* * *

At twenty-two, she became a Commodore.

Three months after that, she was called into Sengoku's office. It seemed urgent.

It turned out, several Vice-Admirals had been watching the recruits closely, looking for a few to specialise in quick infiltration and ambush. She was one of those chosen.

They sent her for training.

Justine hugged Sengoku tightly, before waving goodbye to him.

Sengoku felt a sense of deja vu, and dearly hoped this would not end the same way as Rosinante.

* * *

When she was twenty-four, and armed with knowledge on stealth and infiltration, she started.

Her mission was to infiltrate rookie pirate crews and lead them into ambush points. To nip the evil in its bud.

She infiltrated many crews at the start of the Grandline, gaining their trust over the course of a month or two before leading most of them into an ambush point. The stranglers and survivors she would either capture or kill.

It wasn't a difficult mission. The crews were all filled with disgusting, dirty captains and crews who thought of nothing but violence, sex, money or beer. Of nothing but robbing and plundering poor innocents and killing women and children in cold blood.

So far, she had led many pirate crews to their deaths, each time changing her looks and name.

When she was twenty-six, she had led fifteen pirate crews to their deaths. And she felt no regret. The world was definitely a better place with those scumbags.

Her confidante was Vice-Admiral Tsuru, who oversaw all her mission and gave her information on the ambush points. Sometimes, she let her talk to Sengoku.

She was thankful for that.

* * *

After ruining the sixteenth pirate crew, she returned to Mock Town. It was definitely the perfect place to find pirate crews to join.

She sat in the bar quietly, sipping her beer slowly.

Her name was now Jaz. She was a new pirate looking for an interesting crew. She enthusiastic, open-minded, cheery and wasn't afraid to give her own suggestions. If asked, she was looking for news on her father, and she wanted to be the greatest and scariest pirate to roam the seas, and make her father proud. Then, she will look slightly saddened at the reminder that her father was missing, but will then quickly brighten up and change the subject.

She will use her martial arts openly, and if asked about the Rokushiki, she will say that her father had taught her, and she never knew the skills had a special name.

Suddenly, three people, two men and a woman, walked into the bar, and the atmosphere changed rapidly.

* * *

She watched the commotion, watched as the Bellamy the Hyena (the no-name pirate riding off on Doflamingo's fame) smashed Straw Hat Luffy's face into the table, then beat up the two males and attempted to proposition the female.

With a crew like that, riding off fame and with an obvious superiority complex, she could probably leave it to one of her colleagues to destroy them. This kind of crew would never last. Instead, she turned her sight to the girl who was dragging to two men out of the bar, the Straw Hat Pirates.

They were interesting. And their collective bounty was already above a hundred million berries. Which makes them the bigger threat.

She left the beer sitting on the table, calmly leaving the bar.

No one noticed her leave.

* * *

She waited for them to reach the part of the streets that were relatively clear.

Her name was Jaz. She was happy, cheery, and was looking for a missing father she loved. She was strong, and wasn't afraid to fight.

"Oi, you guys!" She smiled, waving a hand as the trio turned to stare at her. The men were bloody but seemed proud and self-confident. "I saw what you did back there, in the bar."

"Oh yeah?" The girl asked, crunching her knuckles and gritting her teeth. The two males seemed to edge away from their female crewmate.

"Yup!" She smiled, acting happy and oblivious, and succeeding. Before the girl could advance forward to beat her up, she held her hand out. "I'm Jaz! You guys have a pirate crew, right? I was looking for an interesting crew. Can I join?"

There was a silence as Straw Hat Luffy seemed to scrutinize her from head to toe, and to head again.

Then, he grinned widely and bounced forward. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy! Sure, you can join!"

* * *

"Oi, Luffy! What's with this suspicious new crewme-!"

Joining the crew was easy. No one was totally surprised, though there was a long-nosed man who just started shaking Luffy and ranting about suspicious people being invited on the crew. Justine simply waved at him, and he deflated.

"Luffy, Zoro, you're hurt! Call a docto-!"

A really cute little creature hid wrongly behind the mast, then tried to duck out of her sight as he ran over to fix his Captain's and Swordsman's wounds.

There was a creepy blond guy who skipped over, sniffing the air and dancing around screaming "Mellorine~!"

"Shishishi~!"

"Why am I a part of this crew again-?"

"Oh? What's all the commotion?" An instantly recognisable face climbed up onto the ship, and Justine completely calmed down, waving at the newcomer.

Nico Robin. That wasn't information that the Marines had. She would have to report it at earliest opportunity.

"Hi, I'm Jaz! Nice to meet you!"

* * *

She immediately started memorising the names.

The Captain was Straw Hat Monkey D. Luffy. Possible relation to Garp.

The First Mate or Swordsman (they weren't quite clear on that front) was the green-haired man Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro.

The Navigator was the orange-haired, money-loving Nami.

The Sniper was the long-nosed liar Usopp.

The Cook was the creepy blonde Sanji with the weird eyebrow.

The Doctor was the cute little human Reindeer Tony Tony Chopper.

The Archaeologist (why was this a required role on a ship?) as the Devil's Child, Nico Robin.

She had asked what her role on the ship would be, to which Luffy simply scrunched up and looked as if he was thinking, before turning to ask Nami what Justine's role would be.

Then Nami turned to her. "What can you do?"

Justine shrugged. "I can cook. Or clean, or keep watch, or write, or navigate, or smile at people, or fight, or take notes-"

"Alright, you shall be the Assistant Navigator! For when I want to take long showers and can't trust anyone else to watch the steering for me." Nami turned to stare at her. "You really know how to navigate, right? Not following the same cloud or up is north?"

What kind of crewmates did she have? "Yea, follow the log post, beware crazy weather. I have been surviving on my own for awhile."

Nami looked incredibly relieved, and smug.

Justine just smiled at the female pirate.

* * *

She didn't have any time to plan out anything of any sort, because immediately after she joined, they went to the sky.

And wasn't that a trip in itself.

In the middle of playing with the soft clouds and running from strange goat men to survive, she placed her thoughts about contacting Vice-Admiral Tsuru at the back of her mind, and just focused on the now.

Because there was a crazy Goro-Goro no mi user up in the sky who has a freaking huge god complex, and she needed her mind fully focused on now.

* * *

One thing that stood out for this entire trip in the sky was their night in the forest filled with enemies.

Nico Robin had given a very valid and very logical suggestion of putting out the campfire, in order to not give away their location. She agreed, but didn't say anything, already expecting that the crew had enough basic common sense to put it out themselves.

It seemed that… well, they didn't.

And then it somehow transformed into a party.

She had joined in, even though she didn't really like being so enthusiastic, because she was Jaz - cheery, optimistic, who liked to have fun and be happy. Jaz was active, fun-loving. Justine almost wished she chose a calmer personality, just so she could sit out on parties. However, the enthusiastic personality could give out random and daring suggestions without seeming suspicious. Plus, she would not need more than 'it feels right' as an excuse, or anything similarly outrageous.

Seriously, these were the most carefree and fun-loving pirates she had ever met. The only ones, actually.

And then the weird Ossan with the ugly pegasus approached Roronoa Zoro and Nico Robin, who hadn't joined the party. She faltered in her dancing when Roronoa Zoro thanked Gan Fall for saving Chopper and their ship. And then Monkey D Luffy thanked him too, when he noticed him.

Sanji then asked about the welfare of Conis the angel, and looked relieved when Gan Fall confirmed that she and her father were fine. Usopp was also relieved that both of them were fine.

They were also the most caring and kind pirates she had ever met.

None of them were obsessed with causing violence or murder. They cared about the welfare of each other and people around them, and did not actively work toward destroying lives. They even tried to save people and did not kill innocents for looking at them wrong or walking in front of them.

It was strange.

Different.

Justine blinked, then waved her hand, grinning, "Ossan, good to see that you're up! Let's party!"

* * *

When they reached the end of the 'Survival Game', she so dearly wanted to jab her finger through "God's" heart with a Shigan.

What did Enel think their lives were, playthings?

Then he said that there should only be five people left from the 'Survival Game', and told the six of them to fight amongst themselves and leave four.

They disagreed, and aimed their weapons at him.

"Insolents."

* * *

They fell.

Her last thought was that if she got out alive, she needed to work on her reaction times.

* * *

Luffy eventually defeated Enel, and she felt relief.

Then he came down and grinned at her, and she felt the strange giddy sensation.

It felt a lot like when Sengoku petted her head after a trying day, or when he sneaked her some of his crackers when they were in some boring meeting.

Happiness, she could tell.

It was fine. After a while, it would go away. The next town she reached, she would attempt to contact Vice-Admiral Tsuru.

* * *

They 'stole' gold (and damn that was some cute stealing her captain did) and they ran.

Some screaming and an octopus balloon later, and they flew down.

Everything was peaceful, and she leaned back to do some thinking she didn't get to do, watching the clouds turn dark.

And then they landed in G-8.

* * *

It was funny, then it wasn't.

The crew scattered, and all went into hiding.

For some strange reason, she was the first to be captured. Justine wasn't sure if it should be considered lucky or not, until she was brought to the commander's office and sees the Commander of the G-8 base, Vice-Admiral Jonathan.

His eyes had widened, before he ordered his men to confine Justine to the chair and leave the room.

The moment the doors shut, he reached under his table, turning off all the microphones and cameras, then glancing up at Justine.

Yup, she was lucky.

"Jonathan-san, I'm undercover. Could you contact Vice-Admiral Tsuru for me? I need to speak to her."

* * *

"Clean."

"Quick."

"Justice of Mine."

"Justine-chan, you haven't checked in for awhile. I was getting worried. Why are you with Jonathan-kun?"

"Sorry, Tsuru-san. I couldn't get away long enough. I've infiltrated the Straw Hat crew. Please send my apologies to Garp-san."

"I see, I will. I presume you are in the G-8 base?"

"Yes. I do have extra news, however. It seems that Nico Robin has joined this crew."

"Nico Robin-! Ah, I see, that's bad."

"Indeed. So may I know the next ambush point, or should we try to capture them here?"

"Hmm..." There were flipping pages. "No, I suggest trying to get rid of as many members as possible while in G-8, then letting the survivors leave, because some are guaranteed to escape. Such is the curse of Garp's line. After that, I suggest Water 7; your current crew will likely head there next. I will inform the Cipher Pol stationed there. They will attempt to contact you."

"Understood. Please send my regards to Sengoku."

"I will. Be safe."

* * *

Justine glanced at Jonathan, who glanced back. "So you're a Vice-Admiral now. Congratulations."

"And.. what's your rank now, Justine? Last I heard, it was Commodore." Jonathan drawled back.

Justine smiled, tilting her head slightly. "Still is. And please, Jonathan-san. My name is now Jaz. I am now a pirate. Do treat me as such. I do not want to arouse suspicion from my crew."

"Of course. Jaz-chan. Would you be kind enough to tell me the names of your crew members?"

Justine breathed in, then blinked and grinned widely, Jaz swiftly pulled over her face. "Oh Jonny-boy, why would I ever betray my crew? Better luck next time~!"

* * *

The dungeons stank. And they were dark.

* * *

Eventually, Zoro came to accompany her.

"You're captured too, Jaz?" Zoro asked, smacking his lips together.

"Yeah! Nice of you to join me!" Justine chuckled.

* * *

Then Usopp came. "Damn… That Robin- Oh, Zoro, Jaz."

She smiled, then pouted. "Hi, Usopp! It was getting a little boring down here, and all Zoro did was sleep."

* * *

And then some clown named Condoriano. (Said Usopp)

"I demand to see the Commander!"

* * *

When all of them manage to get out alive, with all their gold and lives intact, she felt slightly disappointed, and for some reason, strangely relieved.

She hoped Jonathan-san would inform Vice-Admiral Tsuru on the survival of all the Straw Hat crew members.

Though, at the same time, it felt like she hoped he didn't.

It was confusing, but it didn't matter.

* * *

The stupid Davy Back fights were stupid and so was the Captain of the dumb Foxy pirates. This was the kind of crew that would shatter the moment any real disaster struck as there was no real loyalty.

If by any strange chance Luffy had to leave her with the Foxy Pirates, she could always ruin the Foxy crew instead, so it was no loss to her. She felt almost disappointed that she wasn't chosen.

Yet for some reason, there was relief when the whole ordeal was over.

The Foxy crew was stupid and that's all there was.

Then they ran into Kuzan-san.

* * *

She spotted Kuzan-san the moment everyone else did, and she continued smiling even though she felt like frowning.

Was he here to help her? Or was he here because she informed headquarters of Nico Robin's presence?

Was he here to kill them all, disregarding the ambush?

 _What was he here for?_

Then, when Kuzan-san said that he wanted to nap and tried to proposition Nami, she couldn't help rolling her eyes.

Kuzan-san ended up laying on the ground, with Luffy trying to chase him off, and she felt like face-palming. Though, Kuzan-san had given her a quick glance, then looked away.

Luffy continued trying to chase him off, and eventually Kuzan-san gave up and offered the stranded people a way to get off the island.

"Oi, you guys! Don't listen to what he says! He's a marine!"

Justine just gave Luffy a look, and really face-palmed.

"Ah! That's right! Usually the Marines are the good guys and we're the bad guys! Ahahahahaha~!"

Her hand slowly rubbed her forehead.

Maybe she didn't need to lead them to their deaths. With this captain, they'll probably head there themselves.

* * *

Things happened, and then Kuzan-san decided to kill them all.

When the rest of the rest defended Robin, she didn't say a word.

What was there to say?

She couldn't think of anything on the spot. Her convictions didn't run deep enough, and she couldn't force out anything to Kuzan-san. But, she wanted to say something. And didn't that make a huge difference.

Once the Monster Trio had attacked, Justine had no choice but to attack as well.

The four of them had all attacked, and she swung her leg through the air, throwing a Rankyaku vertically between the trio, so as not to hit any of them.

Kuzan-san's torso had cracked apart, but joined back almost immediately.

Then, Kuzan-san grabbed hold of the closest two and froze parts of Zoro, Sanji and Luffy's bodies. They were all gasping and screaming. To her growing horror, she found that her terror for her crewmates was growing more genuine each passing day. Her mask was growing into her skin and flesh, and she felt discomforted.

He froze Robin too. And the crew was horribly terrified.

Justine was terrified.

Luffy rushed in to save Robin from getting smashed, and Usopp rushed in to escape with Robin. After that, Luffy told them to run. To save Robin.

When Nami tried to attack, she growled and threw another Rankyaku at Kuzan-san, across his shoulders. It caused another deep crack, but again it sealed up within seconds. Kuzan-san turned to her.

"Jou-chan, those are some nice kicks you've got there." Kuzan-san drawled out, hands reaching for his pockets. "Where did you learn that?"

Justine made a slight show of raising her eyebrow. Huh. Kuzan-san wanted to make a show of not knowing her? Well, it would have been strange if such a high ranking Marine didn't question her on how she learned the Marines' secret martial arts, especially since Nico Robin probably knew what they were.

"My father taught me." She answered nonchalantly, grinning while growling. "What's it to you, Aokiji?"

Kuzan-san couldn't answer that, as Zoro and Sanji had rushed toward him. Then, Luffy demanded a one-to-one fight. They were forced to leave him behind to save Robin's life and Zoro and Sanji's limbs.

When they went back, it was to a frozen Luffy.

Her terror was real. Her fear for Luffy was real.

She had to deliver them to the ambush point soon. If she grew attached, she might become compromised.

Her Quick Justice would be shattered.

* * *

Luffy, Usopp and Chopper still had the cheek to joke about the life and death freezing incident.

"This is me frozen!"

She crossed her arms.

Luffy almost died.

"Ahahahaha!"

For some reason, she felt highly irritated. Without another thought, Justine walked over to Luffy, who was covered in flour, and smashed him into the ground, breaking a few planks.

"You almost died! Take it seriously!" She yelled, panting.

There was a pregnant silence. It was not at all comforting. She could feel stares boring into her back.

"Don't worry, Jaz. We'll train to get stronger, even stronger than Aokiji or anyone else! Then we won't lose anymore!" Luffy grinned. How could he say such far-fetched things with such conviction?

Become stronger than Kuzan-san? How ridiculous.

Why did she care? Why did she even get angry?

"So, Jaz, don't worry." Luffy assured, grinning widely.

Justine stared at him skeptically, before turning away, going up to the gallery for some iced chocolate. Sanji made it really tasty. It would at least calm her down.

* * *

"Sanji, can I help with the cooking?" Justine asked later, watching Sanji cook as she sipped her chocolate drink.

Sanji waved his hand around. "No worries, Jaz-chwan. Let me handle-"

"No, I want to help." Justine interrupted, smiling softly at Sanji. "I need something to do."

The blonde glanced her her, staring intently, before grinning and nodding.

"Sure thing, Jaz-chan. Could you help..."

* * *

"Zoro, can we train together? Sparring and such." Justine asked Zoro sweetly, just as he was putting down his enormous weights.

She didn't know why she asked, when she could do her own training. The fact the crew was easily beaten by Enel and Kuzan-san stood out in her mind, Kuzan-san especially.

She needed to train her reaction time, anyway. What better way than to spar?

She had never used her full range of skills in front of the crew before, just parts of it.

Judging from her observations over the past month, they were too oblivious to notice signs of an undercover marine in their crew, and too trusting to even suspect anything of the sort. Except, maybe Robin. But she wouldn't dare say anything for fear of alienating herself.

If anyone asked, she learned her skills from her father, and he had never given these skills a name.

Zoro put the weights down, and glanced at her.

Then, he nodded. "Sure, let's spar."

* * *

A fight later broke out between Zoro and Sanji, over 'injuring his precious, delicate flower'.

Justine stopped that fight, saying it was her choice. Then, she turned to Luffy, who was sitting at the side, eating meat and watching, and asked if she could spar with him sometime too.

Luffy grinned, and agreed enthusiastically.

* * *

During these spars, she tried to keep her overly joyful facade, but with how strong her sparring partners were, she occasionally fell into what she would call 'battle mode'.

The state when she simply reacted to the attacks instead of thinking.

She used Kami-e to avoid relentless sword slashes from Zoro, Tekkai to block Luffy's punches or kicks, or Soru to disappear from some attacks.

It surprised her sparring partners a fair bit, to be honest, and she felt slightly gratified by that. From her spars, she knew she had to work more on her Tekkai and Soru, since Luffy's punches sometimes fell through her guard, and her Soru was not always fast enough for her to escape from attacks.

There was once when she used Shigan on Luffy, unintentionally, jabbing her finger into Luffy's shoulder. It didn't hurt much, as Luffy was made of rubber and her Shigan was not extremely powerful. Luffy had no idea what she had done, thinking that she was just trying to push him away.

She didn't attempt to refute it.

However, she did push up her guard against using techniques. No Shigan or Geppo.

Zoro did ask her where she learned her fighting from, and she had started happily describing her time training with Sengoku, just replacing Sengoku's name with 'Father'.

She didn't need to pretend to be happy when talking about Sengoku.

* * *

When they reached Water 7, she recalled Vice-Admiral Tsuru's orders.

The Cipher Pol stationed here will attempt to contact her.

So, once they docked, and some of them had decided to either exchange their gold, get supplies or nap, she announced that she was going to walk around the city, and buy some clothing.

"I'll be back in several hours! Look for me in clothing shops if you need me!" She called out as she jumped off, grinning.

The crew shouted their own acknowledgements, and she began walking into the city.

* * *

She strolled around aimlessly, window shopping and remaining as visible as possible.

There were many people with masks around her, so she went into a random mask shop and bought a pretty yellow and feathery mask for herself, so that she can blend in if needed.

After two hours of waiting, and while looking at a pretty white dress through the window, a tall person wearing a purple mask with a beak walked behind her.

"CP9." A male voice said, and she straightened up, turning to follow the person.

The moment they walked out of the dark alley, her yellow mask was already on, and she wore silky red and yellow robes.

* * *

The person was called Kaku, part of CP9. She vaguely remembered him from her days training with the Cipher Pol.

He made some small talk, trying to be pleasant, and brought her straight to a hideout. Once they were alone, they had removed the masks and introduced themselves to each other. She was slightly gratified when her name, Justine, induced in Kaku-san small signs of recognition.

Then, he started informing her of all the ambush points available near and in Water 7, Enies Lobby, St Poplar, San Faldo and Pucci.

Nico Robin was to be captured by CP9. They even had Kuzan-san's permission to use a Buster Call. Kaku-san quickly outlined plans for Nico Robin's capture, and the several outcomes it could have. It included plans for if Nico Robin evaded capture, if she accepted the terms or if she resisted. There were also plans for what would be done with the Straw Hat crew depending on what Nico Robin decided, and what Justine's role was in ruining the crew.

For some reason, the whole discussion had her sick to the stomach.

She didn't show it, though.

* * *

Halfway through the discussion, another man with a black bull mask walked in and sat down. Kaku-san interrupted their discussion to say hi, then resumed it after introducing them to each other as Justine and Rob Lucci. He showed no signs of recognition, though.

Apparently, they were expecting Nico Robin soon.

* * *

A minute or so after the den den mushi call informing the three of them of Nico Robin's imminent arrival, Kaku-san had told Justine to put on her mask and wait in the background. They would finalise their plans and her orders after having Nico Robin's decision.

She felt sick to the stomach, like something crawled down there and died.

This was her mission. She was Commodore Justine.

Time to put Jaz aside, and put her back on later.

* * *

Nico Robin entered, followed by a tall man with a white mask. Rob Lucci was seated, waving for Nico Robin to take a seat.

"Welcome, Nico Robin."

"CP9." She replied, face blank.

Lucci smirked, pulling out an official looking letter and handing it to Nico Robin.

She picked up the paper cautiously, glancing at it, before paling, blood rushing away from her face, leaving her as pale as a corpse.

"B-Buster Ca-!"

"Nico Robin, we have a proposition for you."

* * *

"You have an agreement."

"Have no fear, we are men of our word."

* * *

The moment Nico Robin left the room with the man in the white mask, Justine hurriedly informed Kaku-san of her time limit, that she had to return to the ship.

Kaku-san nodded, and quickly went through the most important points, deleting the plans made irrelevant by Robin's decision.

Then, she returned to the ship, leaving her mask and robes behind.

On her way back, she quickly darted into a few shops, buying scarves, skirts and a few masks - at least a bag full of clothing she didn't need to try on.

When she returned to the ship, it was to a very anxious Nami surrounded by countless weapons, a gun held in her hand.

"Jaz! You're back! Thank god!" Nami sounded quite relieved, lowering her gun slightly. It made her chest ache.

"Nami! What happened? Why are you alone? Where's Zoro? Wasn't he guarding the ship?"

Nami laughed nervously. "Today's been crazy."

* * *

Usopp had been attacked, and beaten up, badly. She couldn't really properly identify the clawing, ripping feeling inside her, raging and burning, like she wanted to tear someone open, spill their blood and guts and drown them in it.

Justine really disliked this feeling. It burned and scarred. The last time she felt anything close to this was when Sengoku and Sakazuki-san entered a shouting match over something about morals and innocent lives.

"J-Jaz? You look… really angry…" Nami muttered cautiously, glancing at my face.

Justine glanced back, plastering her usual smile across her face, but remained silent.

"Don't worry, Jaz. The boys are getting revenge."

The relief and satisfaction she felt from that statement alone sent warning bells in her head, followed by hints of guilt.

Sengoku would be disappointed in her.

* * *

Nami also mentioned that Going Merry couldn't be fixed, but Merry held little sentimental value for her. She didn't feel as distraught as Nami did at the news.

* * *

The male portion of the crew finally returned, and Usopp was placed in the gallery. Sanji continued expressing his worry about Robin not return. Justine already knew Robin was about to attack the Mayor as soon as the sun set.

There was a restless silence, which was finally broken as the sun was setting when Usopp finally woke up.

Justine felt a weight lifting off her shoulder, but ignored it and entered the gallery.

Usopp was sobbing and apologizing at Zoro's feet. Luffy continued laughing and the rest looked relatively relieved, Chopper nagging a little. Justine gave a smile, but remained silent.

She could feel the tense, forced cheer, which continued until Luffy broke the news about Going Merry to Usopp.

Usopp tried to shake it off as a joke being played on him by Luffy, but the truth held firm. Justine couldn't understand the depth of love Usopp had for Going Merry. It was just a ship. Why get so worked up by it?

Obviously, the rest of the crew understood it, because the atmosphere became even more tensed. The argument devolved into shouting, accusations, then blaming and more shouting and accusations.

Luffy loved the Going Merry, but as a ship. As Captain, he definitely couldn't risk all his crew members' lives for such a sentimental reason. That, she could at least respect.

Usopp, however, considered the ship a 'Nakama'. It was absurd, in her opinion. No inanimate object is actually worth breaking up true friendships for. But then, who was she to talk. She didn't have any 'true friendship' here.

She stayed silent.

What could she say? Wouldn't it be better for her mission if the crew broke up on its own?

The argument slowly grew more heated by each sentence. The crew members surrounding them each tried to interrupt, to prevent the argument from going downhill.

Not that it helped any.

They were ignored.

If they were getting this worked up about an inanimate object, maybe she didn't even need to do anything. The crew might ruin itself, and she wouldn't have to lift a finger. With the assassination CP9 was planning, the crew might actually crack from pressure.

Maybe they deserved to.

Robin was going to sacrifice so much for them and they were getting worked up about a freaking ship.

Her crossed arms tightened around herself, fists clenching and her smile was loose and fragile.

"-you're not the only one who feels pain over this!" Luffy shouted, shaking Usopp, trying to make his point.

"If that were so, there's no way you would decide to get a new ship!" Usopp shouted back.

Luffy growled. "Fine! If your dislike my decisions that much, then just get off my ship-"

He was interrupted by a kick, smashing him into the gallery table, stopping him from saying a sentence he would truly regret.

"You idiot… What were you about to say?!" Sanji growled, panting. "Cool down! Be careful of what you say, Luffy!"

There was silence, and then Luffy pushed himself up, brushing the dust off his clothes. "Sorry, I was just…"

"No, that's okay, Luffy." Usopp said, not moving, "that's how you really feel, isn't it?"

* * *

It only went downhill from there.

* * *

"FIGHT ME! MONKEY D LUFFY!"

* * *

The crew all began playing the blame game. Nami was trying to talk to Luffy. Chopper ran after Usopp to treat his wounds. Sanji and Zoro started fighting.

Justine just sat on one of the crates in the gallery, not saying a word.

"The Franky Family came here this afternoon, right?!"

"Huh? So what?"

"Why didn't you beat them all up beyond recovery then?!"

"Stop fighting! There's been enough!"

* * *

"If something is happening to Robin too… It feels like the crew is falling apart…"

Finally, someone remembered Robin. Well, if the crew fell apart, it would only make her mission easier.

So why was there a clenching in her chest?

"Jaz, are you alright? You haven't spoken a word."

Justine glanced at Nami, who looked deadly concerned, and then plastered a smile across her face again, completely silent.

Nami looked even more concerned.

* * *

At 10pm, Luffy and Usopp fought.

Justine watched, smile cemented on her face, like an ugly dent across the mouth.

How absurd.

What are they even quarreling about? The ship? Usopp's weakness? Usopp's guilt? Luffy's leadership skills? Who was at fault? Pride?

What on earth was the quarrel about?

Was it worth it?

Even when watching this, she could still only see the bigger picture.

There were people plotting their deaths.

Robin was being blackmailed against her will.

This little fight meant less than nothing!

What the hell was this fight about?!

They were going to _die_!

 _Justine_ was going to cause it!

Why were two friends fighting over such unimportant things?

* * *

Luffy defeated Usopp, as expected.

Somehow, it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

* * *

They vacated the Going Merry, leaving Usopp on board, alone.

There wasn't anything she could do.

Her mission now took priority. With Usopp off the crew, Going Merry unable to sail and Robin forced to help CP9, it was the best time to lead them into an ambush point.

There was a perfect spot near Water 7's lawless area that was crawling with Marines. The moment she set off the signal (clapping twice and yelling "Are there any Marines here?" Oh the irony), the ambush point would be surrounded within minutes.

Tomorrow, the attempted assassination would be public, and the Straw Hat crew would take the blame.

They would be disoriented, and she would mention the perfect hiding spot she found while exploring.

It would be simple.

Except that it wasn't.

None of the crew slept that night.

* * *

Come morning, she stayed behind with Zoro. With everyone separating, it would be inefficient to lead just one person to an ambush point.

At least, that's what she told herself.

They were both chased out of the inn later with sharp tools and guns, people intent on hunting the Straw Hat crew down. Just as planned.

* * *

Later, they met up with Luffy and Nami, then Chopper found them.

Sanji was not there. Since one member of the crew was missing, it would be wasteful to exclude a member from the ambush. It was better to ambush them when they were all present.

Or so she told herself.

* * *

Zoro drawn his sword, tapping it against the ground to emphasise his point.

"Isn't it time to settle this matter? As to whether that woman is friend… or foe…?"

Justine continued smiling her brittle smile, inwardly annoyed and disappointed.

They were searching for the traitor in the wrong place. How could they expect to figure out Nico Robin's intentions, when they couldn't figure out Justine's own? Already, Nico Robin's supposed betrayal had them running around confused and anxious.

How could they ever hope to survive her inevitable betrayal?

* * *

They decided to capture Nico Robin, to find out the truth.

She could only smile and nod.

* * *

Things happened, truths were revealed, and the relief every crew member felt when Robin was revealed to be blackmailed with their safety was plain and clear on their faces.

Justine even felt relief that Robin's name was finally fully cleared, when the last person - Sanji, was told and allowed herself a softer smile.

Luffy caught the change of smiles, and grinned at her.

She felt a sudden spike of guilt piercing through her chest, and forced her smile to not waver.

* * *

They had finally reached Enies Lobby, the sea train Rocket Man crashing into the ground.

Justine took out the sky blue mask she had prepared earlier, should she have to openly confront any marines, and put it on.

When asked, she said that Sogeking was cool, so she wanted to be cool too.

The excuse worked.

* * *

There were two other ambush spots in Enies Lobby, one near the entrance, one much further in.

Luffy was missing from the full crew, and it was better to ambush the whole crew at once. So she couldn't lead them there yet.

It wouldn't be efficient, since the Captain wasn't present.

* * *

The moment all the members of the crew were standing on the roof, facing Robin, she felt a crushing guilt weigh down on her chest.

It was a bothersome feeling, like there was a stone in her heart, pulling it down.

She wasn't one of the Nakama Robin could depend on. Heck, she was probably the one who informed the Marines about her presence in the Straw Hat crew.

Justine wasn't one of them. And yet, they let her stand beside them, declaring war on the World Government, not knowing her true mission and motives.

There was an ache in her chest she couldn't reach in to sooth.

* * *

"I WANT TO LIVE!"

* * *

They fought the CP9, and won.

They all almost died.

Going Merry saved them.

* * *

She forgot about the second ambush point.

* * *

Justine didn't cry when Merry burned up, but her smile faltered when Merry spoke.

Of all things, Merry apologised.

She didn't cry, but her eyes felt moist.

* * *

Franky offered to build their new ship.

It startled her into a realisation. Their ambush.

Right now, they have no way of leaving the island. It was the perfect time for an ambush.

No, she thought, let them enjoy their celebrations first. She would, at least, allow them that reprieve. The ship would take several days to construct, anyway.

Even if it was the best time to ambush them. She could probably even assassinate them while they were all sleeping so peacefully in front of her, oblivious to the danger.

But she wasn't so cruel as to destroy them while they were injured.

* * *

She went into town the moment she saw Garp visiting. There was no way she was going to bump into him. She didn't want to see him. The idiot would probably give her away the moment he laid eyes on her.

And, to be honest, that wasn't the only reason.

She borrowed a baby den den mushi from a random stall, and dialed.

 _Kacha_.

"Clean."

"Quick."

She glanced around, ensuring she was alone, before answering. "Justice of Mine."

"Justine-chan, am I right to assume that the woman wearing a blue mask in the Straw Hat crew is you?" A sigh was heard. "Why didn't you bring them to an ambush point before this whole mess happened?"

"My apologies, Tsuru-san, that was me. And it wasn't possible at the time."

There was another sigh. "Yes, I could tell. I believe Garp has gone to see his grandson?"

"Yes." Justine replied, curt and to the point. A huff was heard.

"Anyway, I do hope you can lead them to an ambush point before they leave Water 7. Your actions in Enies Lobby make you eligible for treason."

"I-I wore a mask in order to keep my identity-"

"Don't worry, the only ones who know are Sengoku and myself. Possibly Garp too, but who knows with him. Your identity and rank will be kept safe. Though, Jaz might get herself a bounty."

"... Thank you, Tsuru-san."

"Do complete your mission soon. There are other rookie crews to ruin."

"Understood." Justine nodded, before hanging up.

* * *

Apparently, Garp's son was Monkey D Dragon.

Who knew.

* * *

"You seem unduly attached, Commodore Justine."

Her eyes widened, and she froze, then continued chewing before swallowing. The noise and lively cheers of the party continued in front of her.

"Is that so, Kuzan-san?" The wall behind her suddenly seemed much colder, and a shiver went down her spine.

"There were multiple locations near Water 7 and in Enies Lobby to lead them into ambushes."

Justine was silent for a while. It was all true.

"It was not possible." She forced out. "They would have suspected something."

"Even now? While waiting for a new ship?" Kuzan-san asked, sounding skeptical. "You can lead them onto the sea train and take them to ambush points on San Faldo or Pucci. I'm sure little effort would be required to convince them into travelling to the Carnival or the Gourmet Cities."

Justine remained silent. She had no answer for that. She did have excuses upon excuses for postponing the ambush, but she couldn't even understand why she felt the need.

"It happened to Nico Robin." Kuzan-san said, voice muffled but sounding both disappointed and amused, with a hint of inevitability, "It has happened to you as well."

There was a long silence.

"Jaz, c'mon, let's dance!"

"MEAT~!"

"Ahahahaha~!"

"See you soon, Justine." Kuzan-san said, then his presence faded. Justine didn't bother to check.

"Jaz~! What are you doing? Let's eat!"

Justine plastered a grin to her face, forced her limbs to move and jumped into the fray enthusiastically.

"Yeah! Let's party! Sanji~ Where's the iced chocolate?"

"Over here, Jaz-chwan~!"

* * *

When they received bounties, she wasn't very surprised.

 _"Straw Hat" Monkey D Luffy: 300,000,000 berries_

 _"Pirate Hunter" Roronoa Zoro: 120,000,000 berries_

 _"Devil Child" Nico Robin: 80,000,000 berries_

 _"Black Leg" Sanji (Attempt to take photograph failed): 77,000,000 berries_

 _"Blue Imp" Jaz: 33,000,000 berries_

 _"King of Snipers" Sogeking: 30,000,000 berries_

 _"Cat Burglar" Nami: 16,000,000 berries_

 _"Cotton Candy Lover" Chopper (Pet): 50 berries_

 _"Cyborg" Franky: 44,000,000 berries_

Vice-Admiral Tsuru did warn her that Jaz would get a bounty. Lucky for her, she was wearing a mask. Good thinking on her part.

* * *

Franky was a pervert.

Robin was a pervert.

Justine had seen more than enough family jewels to last a lifetime. Now she needed some brain bleach.

* * *

When they finally had Usopp back on their crew, she found herself tearing up.

It was overwhelming joy, happiness, and relief. Her feelings were too prominent, too damning. It couldn't be ignored any longer. Couldn't be pushed to the back of her head.

Her mission was a failure.

She was compromised.

* * *

 **Reviews are like cookies**

 **They taste good,**

 **feel good,**

 **make you addicted to them**

 **and encourage you to work faster.**


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